Man Trapped in Chicago Jail While Visiting Inmate Gets $600K for Mistake

CHICAGO, IL — A man who was mistakenly trapped in Cook County Jail for more than a day was awarded $600,000 by the county, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The money is part of a lawsuit settlement with Farad Polk, who was accidentally locked in a super-maximum security visitors room in 2014, the report added.

On the night of Friday, July 5, 2014, Polk was visiting his son — an inmate at the time — when the lock-up happened, according to the Tribune. During the visit, Polk was directed to the wrong room and ended up in an area for visitors of super-max prisoners that wasn't used on weekends, the report added.

Polk remained trapped in the room for 32 hours, CBS News reported in 2014. He also had no access to food, water or a bathroom during his accidental imprisonment, the report added.

Eventually, Polk broke a sprinkler head in the room, the report stated. That set off an alarm, and he was rescued by the Chicago Fire Department on the morning of Sunday, July 7, 2014, the report added.

No jail employees were disciplined in the incident, and jail officials called it a "perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances," CBS News reported. Since the incident, the jail has changed its visitor procedures to ensure no accidental lock-ups happen again, the report added.

More via the Chicago Tribune

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